Koch Industries

Staff Simulation Engineer

Koch Industries$100K — $130K *
Lisle, IL 60532In-Person
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
  • 7+ years in CFD, FEA, and multi-physics simulation
  • Proficiency with commercial CFD tools (Ansys Fluent, CFX, STAR-CCM+ or equivalent)
  • Proficiency with FEA tools (Ansys Mechanical, Abaqus, or equivalent)
  • Experience with liquid cooling hardware simulation
  • Strong understanding of fluid dynamics and thermal-hydraulic system design
  • Demonstrated experience correlating simulation results to test data

Responsibilities

  • Lead CFD and thermal-fluid simulation of cold plate designs
  • Develop and validate multi-physics models like CHT
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to translate simulation results into design changes
  • Perform structural and thermal FEA on cold plate assemblies
  • Simulate potential leakage pathways and failure modes
  • Support design of experiments for prototype validation
  • Own simulation toolchain setup and meshing strategies

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Flexible spending and health savings accounts
  • Life insurance and disability coverage
  • Retirement plans with company contributions
  • Paid vacation and time off
  • Educational assistance programs
  • Infertility assistance and adoption benefits
  • Paid parental leave
Full Job Description
Your Job

As part of Molex's strategic investment in CAEPlus and the ongoing development of next-generation AI data center thermal management solutions, this position will operate in a unique collaboration model between the two organizations. While employed by Molex and receiving all Molex employment benefits, the successful candidate will work closely with the CAEPlus team and focus primarily on advancing CAEPlus technologies, products, and innovation initiatives. This role offers the entrepreneurial environment of a growing technology venture combined with the resources, stability, and engineering expertise of a global industry leader.

This role leads thermal-fluid and multi-physics simulation for the BoundaryCool™ active cooling platform, driving design decisions across cold plate geometry, fluid dynamics, and the active cooling actuation system. The engineer will own the simulation workflow from concept modeling through prototype correlation; using CFD, conjugate heat transfer (CHT), and FEA to predict and optimize fluid dynamics behavior, thermal performance, and mechanical integrity. Working directly with the CAEPlus founder and Mechanical Engineer team, this individual will translate simulation insight into design guidance that shortens development cycles and de-risks the path from concept to validated hardware.

What You Will Do
  • Lead CFD and thermal-fluid simulation of active cold plate designs, including laminar and turbulence modeling, and fluid dynamic behavior at the chip interface
  • Develop and validate multi-physics models, such as conjugate heat transfer (CHT) and, where needed, fluid-structure interaction (FSI), correlating predicted thermal and hydraulic performance to prototype test data
  • Collaborate with mechanical, mechatronics, and PCB design engineers to translate simulation results into actionable design changes
  • Perform structural and thermal FEA on cold plate assemblies, housing, and active actuation system components
  • Simulate potential leakage pathways and failure modes in cold plate and manifold assemblies across the overall cooling system
  • Support design of experiments (DOE) for prototype validation testing correlated against simulation predictions
  • Own simulation toolchain setup, meshing strategy, and solver configuration for complex internal cold plate geometries
  • Support the invention disclosure and patent process by generating simulation data, figures, and technical substantiation
  • Develop 1D system-level simulation models, reduced-order models or empirical correlations to accelerate design iteration
  • Support customer-facing technical presentations with simulation-backed performance data


Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
  • 7+ years of experience in CFD, FEA, conjugate heat transfer (CHT), and multi-physics simulation
  • Proficiency with commercial CFD tools (Ansys Fluent, CFX, STAR-CCM+, or equivalent)
  • Proficiency with FEA tools (Ansys Mechanical, Abaqus, or equivalent)
  • Experience simulating liquid cooling hardware: cold plates, manifolds, heat exchangers
  • Strong understanding of fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and thermal-hydraulic system design
  • Demonstrated experience correlating simulation results to physical test data


What Will Put You Ahead
  • MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a related field
  • Experience with advanced meshing techniques (dynamic meshing, adaptive meshing, etc.) for dynamic models, such as rotating machinery or pumps
  • Experience with two-phase flow or boiling heat transfer simulation
  • Familiarity with Open Compute Project (OCP) thermal standards
  • Experience developing 1D system-level simulation models, reduced-order models, or surrogate models for rapid design iteration
  • Python or MATLAB scripting for simulation automation and post-processing
  • Experience supporting patent disclosures with simulation-based technical evidence


For this role, we anticipate paying $100,000 - $130,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .

Our Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

#LI-RL1

About Koch Industries

Koch Industries, Inc. is an American privately-held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas. Its subsidiaries are involved in the manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizers, pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, ranching, finance, commodities trading, and investing. Koch owns Infor, Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Molex, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals, Matador Cattle Company, i360, and Guardian Industries. The firm employs 120,000 people in 60 countries, with about half of its business in the United States. The company is the largest non-Canadian landowner in the Athabasca oil sands. With annual revenues of $110 billion by 2014, the company is the largest privately held company in the United States. In 2007, it was ranked as the largest privately held company. If Koch Industries had been a public company in 2013, it would have ranked 17th in the Fortune 500. The company was founded by its namesake, Fred C. Koch, in 1940 after he developed an innovative crude oil refining process. Fred C. Koch died in 1967 and his majority interest in the company was split amongst his four sons. In June 1983, after a bitter legal and boardroom battle, the stakes of Frederick R. Koch and William "Bill" Koch were bought out for $1.1 billion and Charles Koch and David Koch became majority owners in the company. Charles owns 42% of the company; trusts for the benefit of Elaine Tettemer Marshall and Elaine's children, Preston Marshall and E. Pierce Marshall Jr., own 16% of the company. The heirs of David Koch, who died on August 23, 2019, own the balance, 42%, of the corporation.
Learn more about Koch Industries
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Founded
1940

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